TED2017
Anjan Sundaram: Why I risked my life to expose a government massacre
Anjan Sundaram: Per què vaig posar en risc la meva vida per revelar una massacre del govern
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"Una zona de guerra pot semblar el lloc més pacífic quan ningú està vigilant", afirma Anjan Sundaram, periodista d'investigació i membre de TED. En aquesta xerrada breu i incisiva, ens endinsa al conflicte de la República Centreafricana, on va veure de primera mà la preparació metòdica d'una neteja ètnica, i comparteix una lliçó sobre per què és important ser testimoni del patiment d'altres persones. "Les persones ignorades a totes les nostres comunitats ens diuen alguna cosa important sobre qui som", diu Sundaram. "Un testimoni es pot tornar preat i la seva mirada molt necessària quan la violència passa silenciosament, sense ser vista ni escoltada".
Anjan Sundaram - Author, journalist
TED Fellow Anjan Sundaram has spent the last decade writing about 21st century dictatorships, forgotten conflicts and discrimination around the world – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and India. Full bio
TED Fellow Anjan Sundaram has spent the last decade writing about 21st century dictatorships, forgotten conflicts and discrimination around the world – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and India. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
What does it mean to be a witness?
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Què significa ser un testimoni?
00:17
Why is it important to bear witness
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Per què és important ser testimoni
00:20
to people's suffering,
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del sofriment de la gent,
00:22
especially when those people
are isolated from us?
are isolated from us?
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especialment quan aquestes persones
es troben lluny de nosaltres?
es troben lluny de nosaltres?
00:27
And what happens when we turn away?
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I què succeeix quan els donem l'esquena?
00:32
Three years ago, I traveled
to the Central African Republic
to the Central African Republic
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Fa tres anys, vaig viatjar a la
República Centreafricana
República Centreafricana
00:35
to report on its ongoing war.
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per informar d'una guerra en curs.
00:38
I'd heard warnings of massacres
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Havia sentit avisos de massacres
00:41
in the country's jungles and deserts,
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a les selves i deserts del país,
00:45
but no one could locate these massacres
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però ningú podia situar les massacres
00:48
or tell me who was killed, or when.
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ni dir-me qui havien matat o quan.
00:53
I drove into this war
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Em vaig dirigir cap a aquesta guerra
00:56
with little information.
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amb molt poca informació.
00:58
I witnessed scenes
that were tragic and unreal,
that were tragic and unreal,
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Vaig ser testimoni d'escenes
tràgiques i irreals
tràgiques i irreals
01:03
and only at the end did I realize
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i només al final em vaig adonar
01:06
that I had witnessed
the slow preparation of ethnic cleansing.
the slow preparation of ethnic cleansing.
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que havia estat testimoni de la
preparació lenta d'una neteja ètnica.
preparació lenta d'una neteja ètnica.
01:14
The Central African Republic
is a country of about five million people
is a country of about five million people
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La República Centreafricana és un país
amb uns cinc milions d'habitants,
amb uns cinc milions d'habitants,
01:18
the size of Texas
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la mida de Texas
01:19
in the center of Africa.
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al centre d'Àfrica.
01:22
The country has known chronic violence
since French colonial rule ended in 1960.
since French colonial rule ended in 1960.
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La violència crònica afecta el país
des de la fi del domini francès el 1960.
des de la fi del domini francès el 1960.
01:28
The war I reported on
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La guerra de la que estava informant
01:30
was between the minority
Muslim government,
Muslim government,
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era entre el govern de minoria musulmana,
01:33
called the Seleka,
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els Seleka,
01:35
and citizen militias,
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i les milícies civils,
01:38
mostly Christian,
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de majoria cristiana,
01:39
called the anti-balaka.
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els antibalaka.
01:44
The first sign of the impending cleansing
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El primer senyal de la neteja imminent
01:47
was the breakdown of trust
within communities.
within communities.
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va ser la pèrdua de confiança
dins les comunitats.
dins les comunitats.
01:52
Three days after I arrived in the country,
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Tres dies després d'arribar al país,
01:54
I watched the small city
of Gaga be abandoned.
of Gaga be abandoned.
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vaig veure com la petita ciutat
de Gaga era abandonada.
de Gaga era abandonada.
01:59
A battle was about to break out.
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La guerra estava a punt d'esclatar.
02:02
And to save themselves,
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I, per salvar-se,
02:03
many people were working
as government spies,
as government spies,
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molta gent treballava
d'espia per al govern,
d'espia per al govern,
02:07
identifying friends and neighbors
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identificant amics i veïns
02:11
to be killed.
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perquè els matessin.
02:14
Cities and towns,
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Les ciutats i els pobles,
02:17
any place with humans, had become unsafe.
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qualsevol lloc amb humans, era insegur.
02:22
So people moved to the jungle.
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I la gent es va traslladar a la selva.
02:25
I felt strangely isolated
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Em vaig sentir estranyament aïllat
02:29
as pigs and livestock
moved into the empty homes.
moved into the empty homes.
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quan els porcs i les aus
es van apropiar de les cases buides.
es van apropiar de les cases buides.
02:36
In a war zone,
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En una zona de guerra,
02:37
you know that you are near the killing
when people have left.
when people have left.
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se sap que l'extermini està a prop
quan la gent marxa.
quan la gent marxa.
02:42
The war moved across the jungle
and reached Gaga,
and reached Gaga,
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La guerra va avançar per la selva
i va arribar a Gaga,
i va arribar a Gaga,
02:45
and I was surrounded
by the thunder of bombs.
by the thunder of bombs.
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i vaig quedar rodejat per les bombes.
02:49
Government forces drove into the jungle
to attack a town sheltering a militia.
to attack a town sheltering a militia.
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Les forces del govern entraren a la selva
per atacar un poble
que ocultava una milícia.
que ocultava una milícia.
02:56
I rode on motorcycle for hours,
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Vaig viatjar en moto durant hores,
02:59
crossing jungle streams
and tall elephant grass,
and tall elephant grass,
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creuant rierols per la selva
i el farratge d'elefant,
i el farratge d'elefant,
03:03
but I only got to the town
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però només vaig poder arribar al poble
03:05
after the government had burned it
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després que el govern l'hagués cremat
03:07
and its people were gone.
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i la gent hagués marxat.
03:10
To see if I could speak to someone,
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Per veure si podia parlar amb algú,
03:12
I shouted out that I was a friend,
that I would not hurt them.
that I would not hurt them.
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vaig proclamar que era un amic,
que no els faria mal.
que no els faria mal.
03:16
A woman in a red shirt
ran out of the forest.
ran out of the forest.
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Una dona amb una samarreta vermella
va sortir de la selva.
va sortir de la selva.
03:21
Others cautiously emerged from the trees
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Altres van sortir d'entre els arbres
03:24
and asked, "Est-ce les gens savent?"
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i van preguntar, "Est-ce les gens savent?"
03:28
"Do people know?"
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"La gent ho sap?"
03:30
The question surprised me.
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La pregunta em va sorprendre.
03:32
Their children were hungry and sick,
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Els nens estaven famolencs i malalts,
03:35
but they didn't ask for food or medicine.
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però no demanaven medicines ni menjar.
03:38
They asked me,
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Em van preguntar,
03:40
"Do people know what is happening to us?"
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"La gent sap el que ens està passant?"
03:45
I felt helpless
as I wrote down their question.
as I wrote down their question.
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Em vaig sentir impotent
mentre escrivia la seva pregunta.
mentre escrivia la seva pregunta.
03:49
And I became determined
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I em vaig proposar
03:52
that this moment in their lives
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que aquest moment de les seves vides
03:56
should not be forgotten.
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no fós oblidat.
03:59
In bearing witness to their crisis,
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En ser testimoni de la seva crisi,
04:01
I felt a small communion
with these people.
with these people.
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vaig sentir-me agermanat
amb aquestes persones.
amb aquestes persones.
04:06
From far away, this war had felt
like a footnote in world news.
like a footnote in world news.
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Des de lluny, aquesta guerra havia estat
un peu de pàgina a les notícies.
un peu de pàgina a les notícies.
04:13
As a witness,
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Com a testimoni,
04:14
the war felt like history unfolding.
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la guerra semblava la història en curs.
04:18
The government denied
that it was committing any violence,
that it was committing any violence,
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El govern negava estar
cometent cap tipus de violència,
cometent cap tipus de violència,
04:22
but I continually drove through towns
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però jo anava passant per pobles
04:25
where people described
government massacres
government massacres
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on la gent descrivia
massacres del govern
massacres del govern
04:28
from a day or a week before.
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que havien passat
un dia o una setmana abans.
un dia o una setmana abans.
04:33
I felt overwhelmed
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Em sentia aclaparat
04:35
and tried to calm myself.
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i vaig intentar calmar-me.
04:38
As I reported on these massacres,
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Mentre informava sobre aquestes massacres,
04:40
I bought and ate
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vaig comprar i menjar
04:43
little sweets,
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llaminadures,
04:45
seeking the familiar
comfort of their taste.
comfort of their taste.
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buscant el consol familiar
del seu sabor.
del seu sabor.
04:51
Central Africans ate these sweets
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Els centreafricans menjaven
les llaminadures
les llaminadures
04:54
to ease their hunger,
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per calmar la fam
04:56
leaving a trail of thousands
of plastic wrappers as they fled.
of plastic wrappers as they fled.
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i deixaven un rastre de milers
d'embolcalls de plàstic en la seva fugida.
d'embolcalls de plàstic en la seva fugida.
05:02
On the few radio stations
still operating in the country,
still operating in the country,
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A les poques ràdios que encara
funcionaven al país,
funcionaven al país,
05:06
I mostly heard pop music.
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sobretot se sentia música pop.
05:10
As the war mounted,
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A mesura que la guerra s'intensificava,
05:12
we received less information
about the massacres.
about the massacres.
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rebíem menys informació
sobre les massacres.
sobre les massacres.
05:16
It became easier
to feel a sense of normalcy.
to feel a sense of normalcy.
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Era més fàcil tenir un
sentiment de normalitat.
sentiment de normalitat.
05:24
I witnessed the effect
of this missing information.
of this missing information.
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Vaig ser testimoni de l'efecte
d'aquesta falta d'informació.
d'aquesta falta d'informació.
05:28
Two weeks later, I slowly and anxiously
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Dues setmanes després, vaig conduir
05:32
drove into an isolated
militia headquarters,
militia headquarters,
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lentament i preocupada
cap al quarter general de la milícia,
cap al quarter general de la milícia,
05:35
a town called PK100.
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una ciutat anomenada PK100.
05:38
Here, Christian fighters told me
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Aquí, els combatents cristians em van dir
05:41
that all Muslims were foreigners,
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que tots els musulmans eren estrangers,
05:44
evil and allied with the government.
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malvats i aliats del govern.
05:47
They likened Muslims to animals.
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Comparaven els musulmans amb els animals.
05:52
Without neutral observers or media
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Sense observadors neutrals
ni mitjans de comunicació
ni mitjans de comunicació
05:55
to counter this absurd narrative,
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per contrarestar aquest relat absurd,
05:58
it became the single narrative
in these camps.
in these camps.
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això es va convertir en l'únic relat
d'aquests camps.
d'aquests camps.
06:02
The militias began to hunt down Muslims,
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Les milícies van començar
a caçar musulmans
a caçar musulmans
06:05
and emptied the capital, Bangui,
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i a buidar la capital, Bangui,
06:08
of nearly 140,000 Muslims
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de gairebé 140.000 musulmans
06:11
in just a few months.
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en només uns mesos.
06:14
Most of the killing and fleeing of Muslims
went unrecorded by witnesses.
went unrecorded by witnesses.
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La majoria de les matances i fugides
dels musulmans no van quedar registrades.
dels musulmans no van quedar registrades.
06:22
I'm telling you about my reporting
in the Central African Republic,
in the Central African Republic,
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Us estic explicant la meva cobertura
a la República Centreafricana,
a la República Centreafricana,
06:27
but I still ask myself why I went there.
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i encara em pregunto per què hi vaig anar.
06:31
Why put myself at risk?
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Per què posar-me en risc?
06:34
I do this work
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Faig aquesta feina
06:35
because I feel that ignored people
in all our communities
in all our communities
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perquè crec que les persones ignorades
a totes les nostres comunitats
a totes les nostres comunitats
06:41
tell us something important
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ens diuen alguna cosa important
06:43
about who we are.
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sobre qui som.
06:48
When information is missing,
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Quan la informació falta,
06:50
people have the power
to manipulate reality.
to manipulate reality.
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les persones tenen el poder
de manipular la realitat.
de manipular la realitat.
06:55
Without witnesses,
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Sense testimonis,
06:57
we would believe that those thousands
of massacred people are still alive,
of massacred people are still alive,
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creuríem que els milers de persones
massacrades encara estan vives,
massacrades encara estan vives,
07:02
that those hundreds
of burned homes are still standing.
of burned homes are still standing.
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que els centenars de cases cremades
encara estan dempeus.
encara estan dempeus.
07:06
A war zone can pass
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Una zona de guerra pot semblar
07:08
for a mostly peaceful place
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el lloc més pacífic del món
07:10
when no one is watching.
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quan ningú el vigila.
07:14
And a witness can become precious,
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Un testimoni
es pot convertir en un tresor
es pot convertir en un tresor
07:17
and their gaze most necessary,
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i la seva mirada en imprescindible
07:20
when violence passes silently,
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quan la violència passa silenciosament,
07:25
unseen and unheard.
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sense ser vista ni sentida.
07:27
Thank you.
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Gràcies.
07:29
(Applause)
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(Aplaudiments)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anjan Sundaram - Author, journalistTED Fellow Anjan Sundaram has spent the last decade writing about 21st century dictatorships, forgotten conflicts and discrimination around the world – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and India.
Why you should listen
Anjan Sundaram is the author of Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship (Ingabire prize, PEN America prize finalist, Amazon Best Book of 2016) and Stringer: A Reporter's Journey in the Congo (Royal African Society Book of the Year in 2014, BBC Book of the Week). His writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Review of Books, the New York Times, The Guardian and Foreign Policy. His war correspondence won a Frontline Club award in 2015 and a Reuters prize in 2006. Sundaram is a TED Fellow. He graduated from Yale University.
Anjan Sundaram | Speaker | TED.com